An old saying that dates to the Middle Ages identifies three significant obstacles to our resting in relationship with Christ: “the world, the flesh, and the devil.” The Bible affirms all three. It teaches we live in a fallen, broken world. We are born with a sin nature longing to put us instead of God on the throne of our lives. We also have an enemy who seeks to destroy our relationship with God.
I have come to name these enemies as “loud voices, our lenses, and lies.” The contemporary world is filled with loud voices, our flesh adopts its own skewed lenses or perspectives, and the enemy lies to us, just like He always has. Interestingly, Jesus alluded to these three categories of obstacles in the parable of the sower in Matthew 13, though He didn’t use either the phrase from the Middle Ages or my updated terms.
A first step to overcoming obstacles in your relationship with God is to be able to know what you are looking for. So, here’s a quick pass at defining these traps:
Loud voices of the world: Vast amounts of information compete for our attention from the moment we wake up each day. The world reverberates with shouting, both literally and figuratively. Unless we are very intentional, we will live in an unfiltered stream of information through social media, news feeds, and our ever-present screens. The noise of these loud voices wrenches our attention away from God.
Lenses of our flesh: Understanding the lenses through which you view the world is critical. We are all born with a fallen nature, marred by sin. This nature, which the Bible sometimes calls “the flesh” is oriented to see everything through the lens of our personal desires. This point of view makes us want to choose self over Savior. Even when we are redeemed in Christ, we still face a battle with the habits of our flesh. The lenses we view the world through can drag us away from a life surrendered to Christ.
Lies of the enemy: Jesus called the devil, “a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). The enemy, the father of lies, assails us with half-truths and falsehood, usually disguised as things that sound pretty good. Think of phrases like: “If you dream it, you can do it,” or “Just live your truth,” to name a few. We would do well to consider the reality and impact of the father of lies, just as Jesus did. No matter how good they sound at first, the enemy’s lies all lead to the dead end of independence from God.
So what are we to do in the face of such obstacles?
To start, we can recognize we are not alone in this battle. God is committed to strengthening you and to the restful, trust-filled relationship He invites you to have with Him. Cultivating intimacy with God is a lifetime transformation project, and God is the one doing the transforming. Sanctification is the theological name for this process. God grows us up in Him just as a parent helps a child mature and grow (Ephesians 5:1, 8-10). His Spirit brings us freedom and transforms us from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:17-18).
But we are called to cooperate with this work by keeping in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-25). A big part of doing that is by learning to pay attention.
We are pretty good at spotting the “big no-no’s” that drag us away from God. What we need more of is sensitivity to the subtle idolatry that comes at the hands of loud voices, lenses and lies. We need to develop the type of sensitivity that allows us to spot the pea(s) in our mattresses. (If that last sentence doesn’t really make sense to you, go read my last blog.)
It is hard to overcome the obstacles you don’t know you have.
Jesus once said to His disciples: “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:1,6 NLT). We face similar terrain. God invites you to develop Holy Spirit driven sensitivity, and to live in dependence upon Him.
One of the reasons I wrote Return and Rest: A Study in Isaiah 30 is because of my own battle with what wars against my trust and rest in God. I invite you to explore the study, where you’ll find more Scriptural guidance and equipping. You can learn to identify and overcome what wars against rest for your soul.